There's nothing like a juicy hookup rumor to start the year off right, but, alas, what might have been an intriguing pairing has turned out to be so much hooey. Jake Gyllenhaal's camp adamantly denies a British tabloid report that claims he's "secretly dating" Katie Holmes.

The oft-suspect Grazia magazine (via Metro) contends that the former Mrs. Tom Cruise has recently enjoyed several clandestine tête-à-têtes with the actor after being set up by her ex-boyfriend (and former "Dawson's Creek" co-star), Joshua Jackson.

"Josh has been the mastermind behind this romance," alleges a source. "Katie says that they have tons in common, and Jake has already been to see her in [soon-to-close Broadway show] 'Dead Accounts.' Plus, she has been over to his apartment in the West Village for dinner."

Holmes, 34, who has been focused on her work and 6-year-old daughter Suri since making her escape finalizing her divorce from Cruise in August, was quick to brush off the rebound talk.

Gyllenhaal, 32, who has kept his love life decidedly low-key after his brief, ill-fated but song-inspiring romance with Taylor Swift, offers a more forceful denial.

His rep assures Wonderwall that the hookup report is "a lie [and] a total fabrication, and we are looking into our legal options against the tabloid that started it. Enough is enough for 2013, and media organizations need to be accountable for their reporting."